Friday, August 6, 2010
Elysburg man 'fair' condition after crash
SUNBURY -- An Elysburg man is in fair condition following a crash Thursday morning outside of Sunbury. Just after 8:00a.m., 30-year-old Roy Schlesinger was driving a pickup truck on Route 61, south of Oaklyn Elementary School when he struck a tree.
Schlesinger was taken by ambulance to Geisinger Medical Center and is in fair condition. A large emergency response was on the scene for about two hours. Police say Schlesinger will be cited for causing the crash. (Sara Bartlett)
Counties about to extinguish their burn bans
MIDDLEBURG – The 30 day burn bans enacted in Snyder, Union and Northumberland Counties are set to expire this weekend. On Sunday, Union and Northumberland County’s burn bans will end. Also Sunday afternoon, the burn ban will end in Snyder County, according to Commissioner Malcolm Derk.
The commissioners do have the option to cancel a burn ban before the 30 days are up according to the law. However, the commissioners all felt keeping the ban in place for 30 days was the safest way to go. The commissioners say they were in constant contact with state experts regarding weather and ground conditions, acting cautiously after a series of wildfires hit the area last year during dry weather. (Ali Stevens)
Man in jail after assaulting 9-year-old boy
SHAMOKIN -- A Shamokin man is in jail after sexually assaulting a child. Police say Russell Carl would sleep alone with a 9-year-old boy, while he lived in a home with the boy's mother and another child. Carl allegedly had the boy touch him inappropriately and also gave him cigarettes and marijuana.
Carl faces numerous counts including rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and indecent assault. He is in Northumberland County Prison on $100,000 bail. (Sara Bartlett)
Lots of kayaks in the river this weekend for the “Paddle between the Parks” event
SUNBURY – More than 100 people are expected to paddle their kayaks down the Susquehanna River Saturday for the 2nd annual “Paddle Between The Parks” event. The event is co-sponsored by the Friends of Shikellamy State Park and the Friends of Milton State Park.
Mark Cox is one of the organizers of the Shikellamy group and says they will leave from Milton at about 8 a.m., make one stop at a local campground and then travel to the Shikellamy Marina. They expect to arrive at the Marina around 1 p.m., depending on water levels and the speed of the river.
People in Lewisburg and Winfield can watch the boats go by, however Cox says the view from the river is a truly unique experience. He says last year they saw a bald eagle land on the Lewisburg River Bridge. (Ali Stevens)
Phone scams more frequent, police urging caution
SELINSGROVE -- Selinsgrove State Police are warning residents of possible scams going on throughout the region. Police say recently they have received numerous complaints from individuals who have gotten calls saying they have won sweepstakes, but they must send money to collect their prize. Police are strongly urging the public to be suspicious of any notifications such as this by phone. (Sara Bartlett)
Geisinger outpatient clinic is closed as a precaution after mold is discovered
DANVILLE – Geisinger Medical Center has temporarily closed an outpatient facility in Danville after mold was discovered. The hemodialysis unit on Justin Drive was closed yesterday and will remain closed indefinitely while repairs are made. Officials at Geisinger say this could take several weeks. The unit will be cleaned and repaired and dialysis patients scheduled to receive treatment at the Justin Drive location will now be seen at the dialysis unit on the main campus of Geisinger in Danville.
Geisinger says the recently constructed dialysis unit passed all Department of Health inspections prior to being opened to patients in June. The mold appears to have arisen from water leakage caused by faulty nylon fittings, which have since been replaced. (Ali Stevens)
A mental health update this weekend on Roundtable
DANVILLE -- Roundtable this weekend is a mental health update. Dr. Stephen Paolucci and Dr. Susan Paolucci are on the show talking about new medicines, new treatments and the new advertisements for psychotropic drugs you can see these days.
Dr. Susan Paolucci told us, that prompt patients to ask their family doctors about the drugs they’ve seen advertised on TV. She said advertising helps reduce the stigma of mental health issues, but it can also oversimplify the complexity of mental health treatment.
The Paolucci’s are both are Geisinger psychiatrists and they discuss mental illnesses and treatments on Roundtable this weekend. You can hear the entire Mental Health Update on Roundtable this weekend.
The interview airs Sunday on Eagle 107 (107.3 FM) at 6:00 AM, 100.9 the Valley at 6:00 AM, Newsradio 1070 WKOK (1070 AM) at 9 AM, Talkradio 1380 WMLP (1380AM) at 11 AM, 94KX WQKX (94.1 FM) at 11 PM and anytime at www.wkok.com.
Skid steer loader on a trailer damages vehicles and home
POINT TWP -- Three vehicles and a home, all owned by a Point Township couple, were damaged after a skid steer loader on a trailer broke loose Thursday morning. Glenn Staloch was outside of his home on 13th Street around 8:30a.m. when he saw the trailer and piece of heavy equipment rolling toward his property.
Point Township Police Chief Josh VanKirk tells us a driver for construction company ResCo parked the truck and trailer in the area, put the emergency brake on and left. Shortly after, the brake failed, and the trailer disconnected, sending the trailer and the heavy piece of equipment down the road.
The trailer, with the loader still on board, damaged three vehicles and a home owned by Glenn and Linda Staloch. The home, adjacent to the one where the Staloch's live, is vacant. The trailer pushed in the home's foundation. VanKirk says the home is now condemned pending an inspection to determine if it is safe.
According to VanKirk, two of the vehicles were heavily damaged and one had some minor damages. There were no injuries reported. VanKirk says no charges will be filed against the construction company. (Sara Bartlett)
Liverpool woman falls out of RV on Route 147, she's critical today
MILTON -- A Liverpool woman is in critical condition after falling out of an RV onto Route 147 Thursday morning. Around 10:45a.m., 67-year-old Mary Jane Humphrey was a passenger in the RV driving north on Route 147 near Route 642 in West Chillisquaque Township. Humphrey got up to walk toward the back of the RV, lost her balance and fell through a rear door and onto the roadway.
Humphrey was taken by Life Flight to Geisinger Medical Center and is in critical condition. Milton State Police were assisted at the scene by Milton, William Cameron and Evangelical ambulances, as well as the Milton Fire Company. (Sara Bartlett)
'American Idol' hopeful from upper Dauphin County arrested in NJ
CLIFTON, N.J. (AP) - Authorities say a man from our region paid a woman with learning difficulties for sex while he was in New Jersey auditioning for "American Idol." Joshua Heintzelman of Halifax, Dauphin County, is charged with aggravated sexual assault. Police say the 21-year-old was staying at a motel in Clifton when he offered the 19-year-old $13 in exchange for sex.
The woman is from Washington, D.C., and was in the area Tuesday to support a family member who also was auditioning at the nearby Izod Center. Police say the woman's mother became suspicious when her daughter, who never has money, bought a sweater. The woman's family says she has the mental capabilities of a third-grader. Heintzelman is held on $200,000 bail. It's not clear whether he has obtained a lawyer.
Mold found in dialysis unit off Geisinger campus
DANVILLE -- Mold has forced a temporary closure of part of one of Geisinger's off campus buildings. Officials say mold was discovered in the hemodialysis unit along Justin Drive in Danville, just off of Woodbine Lane. The affected areas were sealed off once the mold was detected, and now cleaning and repairing is underway to ensure that no patients are at risk.
The dialysis unit passed all Department of Health inspections prior to its opening in March, but officials say the mold was caused by a water leakage in faulty nylon fittings. The fittings have since been replaced. Patients scheduled to receive treatment at the Justin Drive facility will now be seen at the dialysis unit on the main campus, and are being notified by Geisinger staff. Repairs are expected to take several weeks. (Sara Bartlett)
Investigation into abandon vehicle in Point Township
POINT TOWNSHIP -- Point Township Police are investigating after they found an abandoned vehicle along Mountain Road. Police Chief Josh VanKirk says the vehicle was found overnight between Wednesday and Thursday and it looked like it had been involved in an accident.
VanKirk says they are investigating whether someone was injured during the crash, whether they crashed and fled the scene, or whether anyone else was involved. No other details have been released about the incident. (Sara Bartlett)
One injury after truck crash outside of Sunbury
SUNBURY -- One injury was reported after a crash Thursday morning on Route 61 outside of Sunbury. A pickup truck, driven by 30-year-old Roy Schlesinger of Elysburg, struck a tree just south of Oaklyn Elementary School just after 8:00a.m.
Schlesinger was taken to Geisinger Medical Center for treatment of unknown injuries. Emergency crews remained on the scene until about 10:00a.m., directing traffic through the area. Traffic was slow in the area for more than an hour. Schlesinger will be cited for causing the crash. (Sara Bartlett)
Northumberland County demolition company faces illegal dumping violation
MOUNT CARMEL -- A Mount Carmel demolition company is accused of illegal dumping of waste material. Northeast Industrial Services Corporation was in charge of cleaning up the waste from the July fire in Kulpmont that destroyed the Pappy Baluta and Sons Plumbing building along Chestnut Street.
Following calls from residents regarding suspicious activity, police went to the former site of the plumbing business to talk with the crew doing the demolition. After an investigation it was found that Northeast was dumping the waste materials at a site in Mount Carmel Township.
Police went to the Locust Summit location and found the materials scattered across a large area for salvage to be sorted through for scrap. DEP will issue two citations to Northeast for violations of the sold waste management act. (Sara Bartlett)
Governor wants a special session
NUMEDIA – Governor Ed Rendell says the time is now to put funding in place for the state’s structurally deficient bridges. Rendell visited Columbia County on Wednesday and is pushing for the legislature to get back in session to discuss the growing number of deficient bridges in the state.
Rendell says stimulus money has helped a bit but now is the time to put the funding in place. He says if gas taxes are not raised along with fees for vehicle registrations and drivers licenses, they will be in a lot of trouble, as bridges continue to deteriorate and PennDOT planning projects 5-years in advance.
That’s why he is pushing to get this done now, calling for the legislators to get to Harrisburg. Rendell is hoping for a special session two weeks prior to Labor Day on August 23rd. To hear more from Governor Ed Rendell from Columbia County, you can listen online at www.wkok.com.
Charges go to court for former Northumberland borough council president
SUNBURY -- Charges are going to court for a former Northumberland borough council president. 39-year-old Bryan Wolfe was in court Wednesday, and waived his right to a preliminary hearing. He is facing theft charges after allegedly stealing over $18,000 from the borough.
Allegations say Wolfe, while serving as president, used a borough credit card to purchase over $18,000 in computer software. The software is unaccounted for. Wolfe is also facing charges in Snyder County. There, he's accused of stealing more than $178,000 from his former employer.
He allegedly bought software using the company's money, then resold the software and kept the money. For these charges, Wolfe has a preliminary hearing August 17th before District Judge Willis Savidge. (Sara Bartlett)
Good weather is forecast for tomorrow's annual Lemonade Day
NORTHUMBERLAND – The 6th annual Lemonade Day event will be held at the Second Street Community Center in Northumberland this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Noelle Long organizes the event and says new this year will be a petting zoo for the kids along with their traditional games such as hula hooping and a watermelon seed-spitting contest.
There will also be many homemade lemonade stands decorated in a number of themes. The kids participating in the event have already pre-registered and will be judged on their booth and their lemonade recipe. The Community Center is located at 2nd and Orange Streets in Northumberland. (Ali Stevens)
Latest Pennsylvania news, business, lottery and entertainment
GETTYSBURG, Pa. (AP) - A renewed bid to build a casino near Gettysburg has county support. Adams County commissioners voted 2-1 on Wednesday to back an application to Pennsylvania regulators for the Mason-Dixon Resort & Casino at a hotel within a mile of a Gettysburg National Military Park border. In exchange, casino investors David LeVan and Joseph Lashinger agreed to contribute $1 million annually to the county treasury. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is holding a public hearing on the casino Aug. 31. In 2006, It rejected an attempt to build a much bigger casino after opponents said it would sully the character of the historic Civil War site. Mason-Dixon is competing with three other applicants for Pennsylvania's final resort casino license. It allows up to 600 slot machines and 50 table games.
LANCASTER, Pa. (AP) - The Battle of Midway is being waged in the heart of central Pennsylvania's Amish country. Yes, it's the World Boardgaming Championships, which are drawing hundreds to Lancaster this week from around the globe. They wrap up Sunday. The games are largely divided between lengthy strategic military games similar to Risk, and others classified as Eurogames like the fantasy dice game "Settlers of Catan. Forty-year-old Fred Ehler, of Calgary, was inching his cardboard "ships" closer to Midway on Thursday, the third day of a marathon game of "World At War." But Forty-five-year-old Jerry Smolens, of Lansdale, Pa., eventually led the allies in thwarting the attack. The WBC tournament started in 1991 and draws about 1,500 gamers from nearly all 50 states and 15 countries.
ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) - A judge has ruled that former Pennsylvania casino owner Louis DeNaples owes more than $2 million in federal taxes on income he received from a 2001 settlement with the state Department of Transportation. Senior U.S. Tax Judge Arthur Nims III ruled that Louis DeNaples must pay $2.3 million after failing to report interest payments from PennDOT on his 2003, 2004 and 2005 tax returns. DeNaples' brother, Dominick, must also pay $2.3 million. The case stems from a $40 million settlement between the DeNaples brothers and PennDOT, which had seized more than 100 acres of their land in Lackawanna County to build a highway. The DeNaples had argued that some of the interest income they received under the settlement was tax-exempt. A lawyer for the brothers did not immediately return a phone message left yesterday.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - A bill that could help Pennsylvania avoid deeper budget cuts and more layoffs of public sector employees is headed toward a final vote in Congress. The bill passed the U.S. Senate 61-39 yesterday, after months of partisan wrangling. The bill is expected to deliver nearly $1 billion in recession-related aid to the Pennsylvania state treasury and school districts. It provides a six-month extension of aid enacted in last year's federal stimulus law to help states and schools maintain programs amid flagging tax collections. The House is expected to vote on it next week. Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell says the money will help the state and local governments avoid thousands of layoffs. Most Republicans opposed the bill as an irresponsible bailout.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Updates on the latest in business:
Dow: 10,621.10, down -53.88
S&P 500: 1,118.83, down -6.98
NASDAQ: 2,281.27, down -11.79
Wall St. down...Jobless rate unchanged... BP, partners shares up
NEW YORK (AP) - Stocks and interest rates are down after a disappointing employment report renewed concerns about a slowdown in economic growth. Economic figures over the past three months has indicated a slowdown. Investors are unsure just how much more the recovery will weaken.
WASHINGTON (AP) - No good news today from the Labor Department. The jobless rate remains unchanged at 9.5 percent. Companies hired workers at a weak pace for the third straight month in July. A net total of 71,000 jobs were added, far below the 200,000 needed to reduce the jobless rate.
DENVER (AP) - As crews move closer to a final seal on BP's busted oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, the oil giant and its partners are getting better news from Wall Street. Shares of BP, Anadarko and Transocean have all risen sharply this week. BP shares closed above $40 yesterday for the first time since May 28.
NEW YORK (AP) - Insurance giant AIG is reporting a $538 million loss in the second quarter. The drop stems from charges related to selling assets to repay the federal government bailout. Removing the charges, AIG earned $1.99 per share. Analysts had expected a profit of half that per share.
EASTON, Pa. (AP) - Crayola crayons are going to be a lot greener. The company says its new 26,000 solar panels at its Pennsylvania headquarters will provide enough power to produce one-third of the 3 billion crayons it makes each year. The project was funded in part by $1.5 million in federal stimulus money.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - These Pennsylvania lotteries were drawn Friday:
Mega Millions
Estimated jackpot: $53 million
Midday Big 4
8-6-5-8
Midday Number
2-6-3
Midday Quinto
2-4-9-8-4
Powerball
Estimated jackpot: $25 million
Treasure Hunt
05-08-19-28-30
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Bullock gets restraining order
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A man who has a history of stalking Sandra Bullock is being ordered to stay away and not contact her for three years. A judge granted Bullock her request for a restraining order against Thomas James Eldon. Bullock also got a restraining order against Weldon in 2003 while he was in a mental hospital. Once he got out, Bullock's attorney says Weldon traveled to Wyoming and tried to meet her. He's now been committed indefinitely to a state mental hospital.
Vince McMahon sick of Sen. campaign WWE smackdowns
STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) - Vince McMahon, chairman and CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, says his wife's political opponents are taking unfair shots at his business to try to discredit her U.S. Senate candidacy. In an interview with The Associated Press, McMahon says the wrestling empire's detractors have taken snippets of footage out of context, such as a necrophilia scene and one in which a woman licks his shoes and barks like a dog. McMahon says opponents of his wife, Linda McMahon, did not provide the "soap opera elements" that led to those moments. He concedes the WWE has made some mistakes. He says the company two years ago decided to move away from "shock TV" to more family-friendly scenes. Linda McMahon, former CEO of WWE, faces two opponents in the Aug. 10 Republican primary.
Catfish record?
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Greg Bernal's got a fish story about the big one that didn't get away. He caught a 130-pound blue catfish near the point where the Missouri joins the Mississippi River. The fish has set a Missouri state record and Bernal's monster may become a world record-holder. But he says there are still bigger fish to catch. He tells The Kansas City Star there are fish in the river that would dwarf the one he caught last month.
On Facebook, wife learns of husband's 2nd wedding
CLEVELAND (AP) - An Ohio woman says she discovered her husband had married another woman when she found photos of the wedding on Facebook. Forty-one-year-old Lynn France says she had suspected that her husband was having an affair for months. But confirmation came when she saw photos of the fairy-tale wedding in Walt Disney World, posted on his new wife's Facebook profile. A lawyer for her husband, who now lives in Tampa, Fla., says his marriage to Lynn France was never valid in the first place and he plans to prove that in court. Lynn France says the couple married in 2005 in Italy. Now the couple is locked in a custody dispute over their two young children.
COURTENEY COX (AP) - ON THE BEACH FOR TOURISM
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - Courtney Cox hopes people will follow her lead and go to an Alabama beach. She'll film an ad touting Alabama's beaches to get tourists to follow. Some of the state's beaches were hit by oil from the Gulf spill. The director of Alabama's Tourism Department says Cox, who is from Birmingham, will make a public service announcement once she finishes doing "Scream 4." The director says the plan is for Cox to share memories of going to Gulf Shores. The spot is expected to air after Alabama beaches are deemed completely clear of oil from the BP spill, and before next spring.
DON HENLEY SETTLES LAWSUIT OVER CAMPAIGN ADS
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Don Henley has settled a lawsuit with a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate. Henley filed suit when Chuck DeVore's campaign used Henley's songs "The Boys of Summer" and "All She Wants To Do Is Dance" in online ads. Terms of the settlement were not revealed, but DeVore has issued a public apology to Henley. Henley says it was not a question of politics but of the right of artists to control the use of their works.
Jewish activists support mosque near ground zero
NEW YORK (AP) - Some Jewish activists and community leaders have rallied in support of a planned Islamic center near the World Trade Center site. Rabbi Arthur Waskow of the Philadelphia-based Shalom Center joined about 30 other religious leaders and Jewish activists Thursday at the spot where the Cordoba Initiative hopes to build a mosque, athletic center, culinary school and art studios. Waskow says he thought it was appropriate for a Muslim institution to be present in lower Manhattan and condemned some criticism of the plan as "hatred." Some conservatives and other critics have opposed the center, saying it's provocative for a mosque to be built so close to a spot where Islamic terrorists killed thousands.
Lemonade Fracas
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - A county official in Oregon has apologized after a 7-year-old's business venture was soured because health inspectors shut down her lemonade stand. Multnomah County Chairman Jeff Cogen, the county's top elected official, says running a lemonade stand is a "classic iconic American kid thing to do." He says he called Julie Murphy's mother, Maria Fife, to offer his apology and says she appreciated it. Fife helped her daughter set up a lemonade stand last week at a local arts fair in northeast Portland. They had to pack up and leave after being approached by two inspectors who said the stand lacked a license. Cogen says while the inspectors were doing their job, the rules are meant for professional food service operators. He adds that he ran lemonade stands as a child.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)